The invention relates to a mounting for a rope pulley, which is arranged so that it can rotate on an axle in a housing. In particular, the invention relates to a mounting for a rope pulley of a mechanical leash that can be wound up and unwound for leading animals.
Such a leash is known, for example, from EP 0 941 657 B1. The leash has a two-part housing, in which a rope pulley is mounted so that it can rotate on an axle. The leash can be unwound from the rope pulley against the force of a spring and pulled out from the housing. Due to the tensioned spring, the leash automatically winds up onto the rope pulley. The leash can be realized as a rope with an approximately round cross section or as a flat belt. The following primarily discusses a rope, but there is no limitation associated with this.
Usually, the arrangement is realized in such a way that a housing part has the axle on which the rope pulley can rotate. After placing the rope pulley on the axle, the other housing part is set on and connected to the first housing part. A closed housing is formed with an outlet opening for the leash. The rope pulley is guided axially between the two housing parts.
For smooth running, it is necessary that the rope pulley be held with relatively little play between the housing parts. The rope pulley is frequently made from polyamide, while the housing is made from another plastic. When using such a leash, it is unavoidable that the leash will be wound up also in a wet state. This leads to expansion of the rope pulley, so that the rope pulley can become jammed between the housing parts. The spring force is then not always sufficient to wind up the leash quickly and without any problems. This usually involves only minimal expansion, which is sufficient, however, to prevent the running of the rope pulley due to the required low axial play of the rope pulley and its axial width. Trouble-free running of the rope pulley, especially in the wet state, is not always guaranteed.